Ads blamed for pre-teen smoking

CHILDREN are starting to smoke before they leave primary school because of inadequate Government protection from tobacco advertising in shops, teachers have claimed.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) last night urged Health Minister Mary Harney to introduce legal provisions to ban advertising of cigarettes on display behind counters.

“Primary teachers say that, despite current restrictions on the sale of cigarettes to children, large numbers of pre-teens are still starting to smoke,” said INTO general secretary John Carr.

“Point-of-sale advertising is a contributory factor in influencing children to start and continue smoking, and the prominence currently allowed for point-of-sale advertising must be tackled,” he said.

Mr Carr said merchandising activities around tobacco in shops are highly visible, colourful and even attractive to children who are too young to recognise its persuasive intent and effect.

“Advertising in retail premises along with the display of tobacco products, often strategically located behind the counters, are powerful influences on young children. Further action to protect children from the influence of advertising is urgently required, the advertising of tobacco products in shops must be severely restricted,” he said.

The INTO said Ms Harney can commence further provisions of the 2002 and 2004 Public Health (Tobacco) Acts to restrict in-store or point-of-sale advertising of tobacco products.

“The Minister must introduce tighter controls in relation to the sale of tobacco products... This would be a significant step toward protecting young people from the harm caused by tobacco,” said Mr Carr.

An international expert warned earlier this year that tobacco companies need 50 children to start smoking every day to keep their customer numbers up in this country.

The habit is directly linked with 5,700 deaths a year but Professor Ken Warner told an Office of Tobacco Control conference in May that in-store advertising, films and television were still prompting young people to take it up.

An estimated one in four Irish teenagers from 15 to 18 years of age are already smoking, although the ban on sale of 10-packs of cigarettes this year was aimed at making it more difficult for teens to afford them.

Pupils are taught about the dangers of smoking through the Social, Personal and Health Education programme.